By David Eade – Costa del Sol News
A major surprise at one of the first meetings of Ronda’s new council when a project to build 22 homes and a luxury hotel was approved for the Cornisas del Tajo.
The owners of the land are the Sánchez Robles family. They first presented a project to the town hall in 1980 when the local development plan (PGOU) of that time permitted urban use of the land.
However since then the PGOU has been changed to protect the lands and visual impact of the Tajo gorge. The project known as the Cornisas del Tajo has never been dropped by the family although subsequent administrations have refused to discuss it – a stance they received support for from the Andalucía government.
In 1988 after another rejection by the full council the Sánchez Robles family decided to take the case to court. In 2006 the High Court handed down a decision allowing them to build on 16 hectares of the land.
The plans had been for 121 homes plus a small hotel but now an out-of-court agreement has been reached between the town hall and family. They will now be allowed to build 22 homes plus a five-star luxury hotel with 80 rooms, all of which is to have less negative visual impact.
The measure was passed by the PP and PA administration backed by the PSOE opposition. The IU is still against the project arguing there should be no construction in the Tajo gorge. However the party accepted that the new plan would be less invasive than the original proposal.
TWENTY YEARS JAIL SOUGHT FOR RONDA MURDER
The Málaga prosecutor is seeking a 20-year jail term for the 18-year-old who is alleged to have shot the driver of the vehicle he was a passenger in. The victim is well known in Ronda as a local businessman and he was also the senior brother of the “Gitanos” confraternity which carried one of the thrones in the Semana Santa processions. After his murder the brotherhood did not take part in the following year’s events. The accused is part of a gypsy family with numerous previous convictions.
The slaying took place at 14.20 on September 8, 2009, on the perimeter road of the Spanish Legion barracks just outside Ronda. The events were witnessed by Legionnaires and the security cameras. The prosecutor alleges the victim’s Land Rover was parked by the barracks and the two were talking. Then seemingly without warning the youth drew a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol and fired three times into the driver’s right side. As the victim had no time to defend himself the prosecutor concludes the shots were fired with intent to kill. The weapon requires a licence which the accused does not possess.
The severe nature of the wounds meant the victim died immediately. There are said to be eight devastating injuries within the body including to the heart.
The youth fled the scene and walked the short distance to the Hotel Benito on the Ronda to Sevilla road. From there he phoned for a taxi which was later intercepted further along the same road near Villamartín.
The Ronda businessman leaves a wife and three children, one of whom is a minor. In addition to the jail term the prosecutor is seeking 104,000 euros in compensation for his wife, 43,000 euros for the youngest child plus 8,736 each for the older two.
ROAD HALT
The regional government has been constructing three new major junctions in Ronda. Whilst the flyovers on the Sevilla road at La Dehesa were completed earlier this year the works on the San Pedro road and the current hospital have been at a standstill for months. The Andalucía authority says it has run out of cash and work won’t start again before next year.
TWELVE ROBBERIES
Farmers in outlying districts of Ronda have reported a wave of robberies on their lands and country houses over the past fortnight. In all 12 break-ins have taken place with the main targets for the thieves being tools, small agricultural equipment plus antique utensils. At each location items stolen were valued at over 1,000 euros and the booty is being sold at markets.
MAKING GOOD
Arenal 2000 that constructed an urbanisation in Ronda that has been beset with problems has finally agreed to rectify the defects. The works are estimated as costing 700,000 euros. The main problems revolve around the green zones, lighting and sanitation. The town hall holds a deposit from the company and says it will use this to fund the works unless Arenal 2000 acts.
MARIHUANA TRADING
Guardia Civil in Arriate arrested a 49 year-old man who is alleged to have supplied a 21 year-old in Cañete la Real with marihuana that he’d grown. Officers became suspicious when in June they found an industrial unit close to the river with a giant generator that operated on a 24-hour basis. When they raided the premises they discovered a sophisticated marihuana factory.
TAJO BLAZE
Ronda fire brigade tackled a major blaze in the Cornisas del Tajo on Saturday last. There are a number of houses in the area; there was also a fear the flames could spread to the urban zones. It was a difficult location to reach; a helicopter was brought in from the nearby forest defence centre to dump large amounts of water on the flames.
BY-PASS DELAYED
Arriate’s Eastern by-pass has been on hold for over a year with no sign of being restarted. The 5.3 million euros road was one of the first victims of the economic crisis. The by-pass should take 4,000 vehicles a day away from Arriate especially lorries that have to navigate its narrow streets. Started in April 2009 it was to be completed last October.
KNICKER PROTEST
The 68 pre-retirement workers from the Bonpunt textile factory in Ronda, famous for making knickers, were laid off in 2007 under an ERE agreement. They are now pensioners and their spokesperson Isabel Guerrero insists they have not received any payments for seven months. They all travelled to Sevilla in June to protest over their plight and have now returned to stage another demonstration.
